V 11 2004/5 Bike Choices

[DeBenGuzzi]

HEY bill, whats up man, drive it like you stole it cause I would have 'if' I was behind the wheel. And only a modest $274,288 why not try a 360 modena for half that? tell me you've had one I Love that car. Next you should trade in the diablo for the Murciélago its sweeeet. or a Gallardo ya know either way. ya know tho the Ford GT40 had better marks and performance than the Lambo Murc or the Mercedes super car only lost out to the Crazy Porche that is over twice the price.

[Guest whart]

HEY bill, whats up man, drive it like you stole it cause I would have 'if' I was behind the wheel. And only a modest  $274,288 why not try a 360 modena for half that? tell me you've had one I Love that car.  Next you should trade in the diablo for the Murciélago its sweeeet.  or a Gallardo ya know either way.  ya know tho the Ford GT40 had better marks and performance than the Lambo Murc or the Mercedes super car only lost out to the Crazy Porche that is over twice the price.

49419[/snapback]

DeBen: In the same way that other bikes may be quicker/more "performance" for the dollar than a Guzzi, the same is true with the current crop of Lambos- overall, I like the Murcie, but it has lost some of the Italian flare that was so evident in the 6.0 Diablo- if you look at the market, early Murcies are now priced at (and will soon be below) the 6.0- the latter is truly a special car- it's at the pinnacle of Diablo engineering, but still somewhat "old school" and the last of the true Italian Lambos. On performance alone, the Gallardo is probably 80% of the Murcie at @ 1/2 the cost. (Gallardos are trading in the 140-50 range for a virtually new car and i think they are terrific but the 6.0 is way sexier than either the G or the M, if you had them all side by side).

I would buy a Ford GT in a minute at sticker, but the few that are out there are at speculator prices. The "uber" Mercedes was, in my estimation, a mistake. On the other hand, the Porsche CGT may prove to be a jewel in the long run: it quickly lost "car of the month" status (which is OK by me- the cars are readily available at sticker, if not below) and it is, from what i gather, the real deal (I've been a little slow in getting to drive that one). Once the dust settles, it may become sought after.

As to the difference between the 360 and current 12 cyl. Ferraris, they are very different cars. The 3's are boy-racers, quick, nimble, high revv'ing, not much torque; the 12's have torque galore, are built a little better, they are more car in every respect, and that includes weight/mass. They are not chuckable, but continent-mashers. Ferrari is currently stuck with an "old" model, the 550/575 which, while a great car, is now 'long in the tooth' as far as the marketplace is concerned. The hot Ferrari right now is the latest 8 cyl. car, the 430, which has huge performance gains over the 360. As an aesthetic matter, it's in the eye of the beholder. I think the 430 looks contrived, but it will run circles around its predecessor. The consensus among some is that both Lambo and Ferrari have 'gone soft' in looking to offer an all around sportscar that is as useable as a Porsche. It would be great if both companies offered a no frills 12 cyl. car in the spirit of their earlier street/production cars.

[robbiekb]

There's both a Coppa and a Nero , new, down in santa anna at OC triumph/Guzzi

[velofish]

Whart: Welcome aboard. Not sure how experienced you are, but I have found that more comfort= more speed and more safety. My 2000 came with a dealer installed tubular bar. I recently change this out to Verlichhi swan-necks because the tubular had me too upright at speeds above 80. The Verlichis get me more forward and down.

Mistral carbon cans on mine and a Stuchi crossover (why can't I spell tonight?). I have a PCIII but haven't had it programmed yet. Bridgestones on mine, but have been getting a little squirrelly in the rear end (now that is a set up for some smartass). These seem like some standard mods.

Also added heated grips and an accessory plug for a heated vest.

Remember, after the break-in, these things like to be revved. I never use 6th gear, and have been much happier since my tach died. Now, I just rev it until it smooths out, and use the rev limiter as a shift indicator in hard riding situations.

Enjoy yourself.

fish

[guzziownr]

Hey Bill and others reading this thread. I am a New Yorker and long time Guzzi geek. my last project was transforming a Jackal (low end Guzzi cruiser) into a 750S/1000S clone. See www.guzzitech.com if you missed my previous posts.

 

I just bought a red '04 V11 Sport from Moto Int. The shipping date from Seattle is 4/28 via Forward Air. I sold the Jackal project to a deserving fellow here in NYC and he is quite pleased with it. He sent me a picture of the bike posed by Bear Mt. GRRRRR! It looks great and I miss the sound of the La Franconis terribly.

 

Serial collecting sounds like the way to go. I loved the bike I built but even cubic money was not going to make it as capable as my new sport will be. I could start pushing bikes to the rear of the garage as I acquire new ones but I like to do my own work if I can and two bikes is about right to keep me busy in addition to my 9-5 as a teacher and school principal.

 

Buy the best cars and bikes you can afford ( I think Guzzi are the best for my purposes) If I could, I would drive Ferraris for the same selfish reasons I choose Guzzis. I like them and the way they sound.

 

When I bought my first car I chose a well used and cosmetically challenged 1968 Porsche. The PO was scheduled to drop it off at my house on a Saturday and on that Friday night as I walked home I saw an immaculate low-milage Toyota econobox for a thousand dollars less. A much more sensible choice. (The Porsche was a money pit and somehow morphed into my first Guzzi.) I remember standing in front of the Toyota with the for sale sign and laughing. Tempted by mediocraty! Fortunately I don't do sensible.

 

Bill, if you want to get together before I knock all the new off my V11 give me a buzz. I will be zipping around the area breaking in the motor anyway.

 

David in NYC

[Guest whart]

robbie- thanks for the tip; i have locked in a nero and wired the dough, so i should be good to go; if for some reason the deal falls thru, i'll keep them on the backburner.

Velo- I guess i should see how the stock set-up is before i change it; i'm a little concerned that it will be too aggressive for long rides; not sure how the swan bars would compare to that, but i'm interested in researching as many options as possible. I gather i can get adjustable foot pegs as well. I'll keep you, and others informed once i get the bike and get a real feel for it. PS, is SW PA the equivalent of Pittsburgh? I grew up in the 'burbs there.

David- thanks for the offer. You bet. Do you normally ride north of the city? If so, i can hook up with you along the way, and we could keep heading north. I really like the stretch of road behind West Point, off Rt. 6; it eventually turns into Rt. 218, and there are a few mile long stretchs with complete visibility, then it turns into a canyon hugging road overlooking Bannerman's Island, before dropping into the town of Cornwall on Hudson. I often make a loop there and come back south over Storm King Mtn. and then into Bear Mtn., 7 Lakes, Harriman, etc. Very twisty, scenic roads, running along lakes, reservoirs, etc. My email is whart@proskauer.com Feel free to send me a message at the spur of the moment on any weekend when the weather is clear- we'll hook up.

 

(BTW, the Greenwich Concours is June 5-6 and is highly recommended if you've never done it and are in the NY metro area at that time. It is as close to a Pebble Beach quality show as exists on the East Coast. First day is pre-war cars and bikes, second, post war and exotics/supercars. Well worth the trip, and a good excuse to get the bike out if you are local Just take Exit 3 Arch St. off the Merritt Pkwy. and follow the crowd....).

[velofish]

Bill: I mant to explore the lowered footpeg option, myself. The swan necks are adjustable from clip-ons to about the height of tubulars. so the only problem I still have is a little cramping in the knees after 300 miles or so.

 

I live on the WV border now, but grew up in PGH, too. Aspinwall in the North hills. Go Stillers!

fish

[robbiekb]

The Nero is an awesome bike, i testroad one in comparison to my own short wheelbase v11 and found it to be way more civilised

 

heh on another note, why dont you look into the Ghezzi Brian's ? There's a few Supertwins around. (one in Austin , TX in particular that i am saving some cash up for).

 

When you do the math, they dont really work out to be too much more than i've already spent heating up my standard V11.

 

Robbie